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The future remains bright for the NBA champion Spurs, but things are cloudy when it comes to the franchise that won the previous two before Sunday’s San Antonio blowout.

A whopping 12 of Miami’s 15 players can become free agents this summer. Reports indicate Chris Andersen definitely is opting out and Shane Battier is retiring. Of course, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each can either opt-out of their contracts or stay put. Ray Allen might retire and Mario Chalmers is coming off of a terrible Finals.

The team will look quite different, though if the stars decide to stick around for at least another year, it should not be too hard to reload on the cheap. What is clear is that more depth is desperately needed.

The Big Three was not giving anything away after the season came to a disappointing close on Sunday night. They will take some time to figure it out and you cannot read too much into statements like Wade’s “it’s been a hell of a ride these four years” or James saying he would take two title wins in four chances, no questions asked, as a sign that it is all over for this group.

With the East still far inferior to the West, there is little reason for the Heat to tear it down. With a bit of tinkering, this is still the favourite to return to the Finals next year.

Meanwhile, as long as Tim Duncan chooses to keep adding to his impeccable resume and Boris Diaw sticks around, San Antonio, returning just about everybody, is still the class of the league, with more room to run.

Could we see a rubber match next June? That would certainly be something to look forward to.

James knows there is work to be done, though, before that could come to pass.

“The whole league continues to get better every single year,” James said, “Obviously we would need to get better from every facet, every position.”

To do that, the three stars might have to compromise a bit on salary, the way the Spurs have famously done over the years.

“It makes it all worth it,” Tony Parker said. “All three, we took less money to stay here and to win championships. So it makes it even better to have been able to play my whole career with Timmy and Manu (Ginobili) and experiencing those great moments we’re never going to forget our whole life.”

ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED

Bosh agreed that the Heat has to find some answers to get back on top.

“They figured us out, the league has figured us out, so we’ll have to come up with something different,” Bosh said.

“They punched us in the stomach, took the belt, that’s one hell of a team.”

Not surprisingly, the former Raptors star said he had no regrets about leaving his job as a top dog on a perennial loser, to be a role player on a contender.

“Not at all, man,” Bosh told the Sun. “Finals four years in a row, had a chance four years, just to be able to compete on a big stage against the best, that’s all you can ask for.”

CANADIAN PRIDE

Pickering’s Cory Joseph joined a small list of Canadian NBA champions (Montreal’s Joel Anthony and Bill Wennington, Welland’s Mike Smrek), becoming the first GTA native since Rick Fox to win it all (though Fox was raised in the Bahamas).

The Spurs are by far the NBA’s most international team, with players hailing from around the globe.

“It’s amazing, we carry all those countries on our back,” Joseph said in the raucous Spurs locker room post-game, the smell of champagne puddles wafting through the air.

“You dream of this moment. I’m at a loss of words. As a team, we put in the work. Everybody from the first guy to the last guy, everybody contributed.”

Joseph did not see much action in the Finals, but made a big contribution in the previous round against Oklahoma City when Parker ran into some injury issues.

“Hopefully a lot more Canadians can win, actually hopefully not. Hopefully I get all the titles,” Joseph said with a laugh. “I appreciate all the love from Canada. I couldn’t be more proud to be representing Canada, representing Toronto.”

AROUND THE RIM

Two statements from Duncan before the series that proved true: “We’re going to win this time,” and, “I don’t have a problem with them individually or as a team ... unfortunately for them we’re here to try to win” ... How dominant was San Antonio in the series: The Spurs scored 70 more points than the Heat over its course, a differential of 14 per game, the largest margin ever and were the first team to lead by 20 in three straight games at a Finals ... Kawhi Leonard joined Magic Johnson as the only players to win Finals MVP before their 23rd birthday. Great Duncan quote earlier in the series on Leonard, who is so visible on the court, so mute off of it: “That’s how he chooses to carry himself. He doesn’t talk to us, so I’m guessing he’s not going to go out there and talk to anybody else,” Duncan said ...San Antonio went 10-2 in the playoffs at the AT&T Center, with an average margin of victory of nearly 15 points and Miami fell to 5-27 all-time in San Antonio ... Duncan joined John Salley as the only player to win titles in three different decades ... The numbers held (70% of Game 1 winners and 83% of Game 3 winners eventually win the Finals) ... On Sunday, Miami lost for only the second time in 17 games when James went for at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game ... The Raptors will have a draft workout featuring Michigan State’s Adreian Payne and others this week. He is a big man with three point range and is considered one of the more NBA-ready players in the draft, which takes place in Brooklyn on June 26th. The Raptors have the 20th selection.

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The future remains bright for the NBA champion Spurs, but things are cloudy when it comes to the franchise that won the previous two before Sunday’s San Antonio blowout.

A whopping 12 of Miami’s 15 players can become free agents this summer. Reports indicate Chris Andersen definitely is opting out and Shane Battier is retiring. Of course, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each can either opt-out of their contracts or stay put. Ray Allen might retire and Mario Chalmers is coming off of a terrible Finals.

The team will look quite different, though if the stars decide to stick around for at least another year, it should not be too hard to reload on the cheap. What is clear is that more depth is desperately needed.

The Big Three was not giving anything away after the season came to a disappointing close on Sunday night. They will take some time to figure it out and you cannot read too much into statements like Wade’s “it’s been a hell of a ride these four years”

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